Elections - A swing to the Right

Thursday was polling day for the European parliament. When I went into the community centre that serves as the polling station there was almost a look of relief on the faces of the staff, there is life in the village. The ballot paper was two feet long, as there are a myriad of political parties that are seeking election to the European parliament who are anti Europe.

While on the same day in other parts of England there were local council elections, here we had a a council by election last month and the monkey got in, or was that Labour? Well the same difference as here the Labour gets the vote just because of its historic links with the working class even though Labour has long ceased to understand the problems of working people.

I realise that this will be a shocking surprise, but I voted for the Green Party. Not simply because of the environmental policies, but unlike so many parties they are at least positive about Europe and British Membership of the European Union.

When it comes to the EU (European Union), Politicians and the Media love to knock it, and use it as the scapegoat for all our ills. Therefore, we the people fail to get anything like a balanced and informed debate. In fact it is very hard to know what the EU is and does, therefore people are quite hostile to the EU and British Membership.

However, when it is possible to research details, frequently the laws and regulations that the EU gets blamed for emanate from the British Parliament and the British Government. Therefore the politicians can get through many laws and rules without debate or scrutiny. Add to this a media that is generally hostile to Europe and journalists fail to look at the details of what is being claimed. Worse than failing to scrutinise EU policy, the media have frequently published stories about Europe that have been nothing more than a pack of lies. One example was the supposed EU ban on Prawn Flavoured Crisps (Potato Chips). What was actually happening was the EU were looking at what additives were allowed in food. One of the suspect additives was used in Prawn Flavoured Crisps, but had the EU not banned its use in foods, the British Government would have done so as it was known to cause cancer. The myth of that persists in peoples minds while the reality has been lost.

It has become so easy to blame unpopular government policies on the EU. This also means that people are not informed about what the EU really does.

Personally I am not fully in favour of all the EU does, the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy are two key points. But when it comes to issue like Climate Change it is only via Europe wide agreements and implementation that this serious danger can be tackled.

Unless there is a serious, open and honest debate about the EU, how can ordinary people make informed choices. One of the biggest problems with the EU as it stands, is that it is only the large multi national businesses that have embraced Europe and hence many of the laws and regulations are shaped by their needs. Had it been that the Media had help inform the public then I am sure that much of the laws and regulations that cause people to complain about Europe would not have been shaped in the way that they have been.

I strongly suspect that the large media organisations like News International are deliberately keeping the British public ill informed about Europe so that commerce and business can shape the EU without democratic involvement.

While because of the election cycle locally there was no County Council Election here, as I was writing this posting I was concerned to hear that the BNP, the British Nation Party, have gained a council seat. As the BNP is a Neo-Nazi, racist party, it is always disturbing to hear of them gaining support, anywhere.

While it will not be until Sunday that the votes for the European Parliament will be declared, I do worry that because of all the childish politicians and the disgraceful fraud by Westminster MPs that there will be people that took that scroll of a ballot paper and voted for fringe candidates and parties. Especially as locally there has been the arrest of people from the far right under Anti-Terrorist laws. While this may not have anything to do with the Elections here, I have to little information to make that assessment, the timing seams significant.

But to discover that a Father and Son had in their possession the poison Ricin in a village just a couple of miles from me is truly shocking. As I write, it is being reported that the Army will be transporting the chemical to a safe place.

While it is reassuring that there is no public danger and that these two “White Supremacists” have been caught, it is disturbing to discover that there are people of such extreme views living in our presence. As I have recounted here before, there are some people here that have racist views, but I did not think that there were people about that would resort to violence.

This is why it is so important that we clean up politics and engage in trying to make the world better for all and not just the few. If we don't then extremists across the political spectrum will emerge and gain support, with the effect of damaging an already fractured society further.